New content, new design

A lot of new content has been added to ChartGuide and the look and feel of the website is redesigned. Two years after I started this project, I finally found the time to upgrade the website. So ChartGuide can help you better with choosing and designing the Perfect Chart.

ChartGuide was build as a site where people could download the Chart poster I created for my data visualization classes. After two years focusing on improving the poster, now I finally found the time to change the website. This does not mean that the poster has reached it final state. No, the change of the website design is the start of much more, offline and online. More about that, further below.

What's new?

The first thing you see, is the update of the look and feel of the website. The site has become more visual, with the use of many pictures and icons. As a result everything is now easier to find. That was necessary, because a lot of new content has been added and even more will be added in the future. The purpose of www.Chart.Guide is to extend the use of the poster. To give you more background to support your choices and therefore, help you choose and design the Perfect Chart.

The site has now four main sections:

Your Poster

The main reason for people to visit ChartGuide is to download or buy the poster. That process is now easier. To celebrate the new website design, the poster was updated to version 3.5. Also new: people who subscribe for the free poster, will get a extra email after registration with instruction on how to use the poster. People who have registered in the past, did get the link to this section when they were informed about the update to poster version 3.5.

Choose a Chart

The choose a chart section contains now all charts that are on the poster. Each chart group has a more detail description about that chart group then just the single line on the poster. Including an instruction on how to choose a chart.

Design a Chart

The poster contains nine tips on how to design a chart, explained in a sinlge sentence. Online in the “design a chart” section, you can find a more detailed explanation of all nine tips. Including a new ordering of these nine design tips.

News

Although in the past the amount of news had been little, the news section was entirely redesigned. So that future news can be added in an appealing way and can be found easy.

Coming next

Currently I am working on these next steps for ChartGuide. Register for the poster, or follow me on twitter or facebook to receive updates.

– More on the “not recommended” charts. Why you should not use them and what charts you should use instead.

– More information on the Choose a chart process.

– The “Build a Chart” section will be added to the site, where will be explained how to build the charts.

– Version 4.0 of the poster, that will include even more charts and design tips, and introduces a new chart group: Geography.